Borne of our abiding friendship with Belgium’s La Brasserie de Blaugies, Pierre-Alex and Kevin Carlier brewed with us here in June of 2013. The resulting beer—brewed with hops from Mons, Belgium, and 30% raw organic buckwheat; fermented in both oak barrels and stainless steel; and aged for many months in those same barrels—is among the finest farmhouse ales we’ve ever produced. Vibrant, lively and sophisticated, its bracing tartness belies its elegant wine-like profile. We were honored to have brewed with Pierre-Alex and Kevin; we are delighted to share it with you.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Wow, been wanting to try this one for a long time. So juicy, tart, and refreshing. Taste lemon, wheat, a little funk. Just a perfect saison, the finish lingers forever, this is on a whole other level than their base saison lineup. Hopefully they can brew this again in the near future. (285 characters)

L - Pours a very clear light hue of orange with some golden sunshine in there. A nice half inch white head forms and lasts foreverrr. The majority falls into the beer but remains as a ring clinging to the glass.

S - Smells of a soft sourness. Some funk. Lemony some citrus.

T - Again with the soft sourness. The right amount of funk and tartness. Delicious in every way.

M - The carbonation was soft. Noticeably softer than other HF beers I have had. Deceiving with the amount of head and the retention it had.

O - I could drink this beer any day of the week. Twice on a beautiful day like today. Definitely a great representation of what it is and well worth the wait! (674 characters)

Had this at a recent tasting, with a few other HF beers. I have to admit that after first 4-5 beers from this brewery I didn't expect anything good. I was really surprised by this one. This is a fantastic saison. One of the best american saisons I had in fact, the only one better I can think of is BA Cellarman. Very juicy, citrusy and funky. Loved every sip of it. (367 characters)

Appears hazy, light lemon-yellow colour, one and a half finger white head that retains reasonably well, dissipates fairly quickly. It's bright and the colour pops at you. Smells like grapefruit, a bit of wheat, a bit of funk. Really astounding how much citrus it has in the smell. There is a light white wine dryness as well; not as much as Flora. Flavour is moderately tart grapefruit flesh, a bit of blood orange, zesty, no lacto, very clean and grapefruit forward. A bit of wheat, oak, white wine complements the citrus. Phenomenal complexity and good "juicy" character; it's not acidic or bracingly tart but it has enough tartness that it doesn't overwhelm the other flavours, retaining its complexity. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with a great deal of depth, not syrupy nor is it thin. Incredible drinkability. Finish is grapefruit rind and a bit of white wine dryness. Overall this is probably the best saison I've had from Hill Farmstead to date; it makes Flora look muddled and clumsy in comparison. I have yet to have CD10/CD11 though. In this present moment, all I can say is that Le Sarrasin is absolutely phenomenal and I will be seeking out more; I find myself wishing that there were more saisons like this.

Re-review 6/20/2015. Opened up a 750ml bottle, served in a Hill Farmstead glass. Essentially, it is confirmed that this beer is excellent across the board, with a nearly flawless mouthfeel. Grapefruit, citrus rind, mild wheat, moderate acidity, drinking perfectly right now. It won't get better moving forward, so I would drink yours now if you still have any. Cheers! (1,633 characters)

WOW.... Lemon, uber-funk, and hops... Concentrated flavors, a creamy mouth-feel, and a finish that last a minute or more. Like sue- my previous favorite HF saison/AWA- on steroids! Didn't know "beer" could reach such heights! (227 characters)

Wow. Just wow. Don't award many perfect 5s, but this beer is among the best I've ever had. Absolutely gorgeous in the glass. It's hazy gold like the moments just before sunset. The nose is lemony and vinous with a slight hint of pennies or something else metallic. As great as the regular HF saisons are (Arthur, Florence, etc.), this moves into another realm of smoothness, complexity and sophistication. The lemon/lemon peel opening pucker is classic HF. It moves through a Sauvignon blanc note, an effervescence like champagne and then a bit of oak. Everything works in perfect coordination and is superbly balanced. Endlessly refreshing. This is a treat and blows other top rated saisons like Fermier and Bernice out of the water. What did I say? Wow. (755 characters)

750ml bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead oversized wine glass. Enjoyed on 12.6.14, reviewed from tasting notes, many thanks to my dad for opening his bottle and sharing.

The beer pours an orange copper color, a bit of gold in there, very hazy with a nice, white head, very soapy, about 2 fingers high that has great retention and leaves some nice spots of lace. The aroma is wonderful, very citrusy, oaky with nice white wine character, buckwheat and pale grain with a bit of stone fruit and tart wildflower, and just to finish it off, that signature mineral profile from the well water. The flavors are really delicate and quite refreshing, juicy with citrus and white stone fruits, lightly tart, plenty of smooth but rustic grain, white line that is lightly vinous and just a nice subtle mustiness that brings out the minerals from the well water, really nice depth of flavor but balance of all the influences. The mouth feel is superb, coating, lively, smooth, soft and creamy but still ample carbonation that finishes with a delicate touch.

Verdict: An outstanding wine barrel aged saison, not overly barrel heavy, but not overly tart either, nicely fruity, floral and rustic that hits a wonderful balance. A beer that is not to be missed, bright and delicate that hits my palate right in the sweet spot. (1,311 characters)

Incredibly balanced beer. wonderful sweetness, oak barrel, and tartness. Creamy mouth feel. I would drink this everyday if I had the opportunity. The best Hill Farm saison I've ever had including Flora. Seek this one out. (225 characters)

I have been saving this one since the summer and glad I finally got to open it.

Looks great, nice head, blah blah blah

Aroma is super funky. We had a couple Cantillon in the same night and this was the funkiest of the bunch. Insane amounts of barnyard characteristics. Literally smells like a horse stall. Barrel presence was there, but the funk was the main characteristic. Lacto gives the aroma a spritz of excitement.

Flavor is your classic Hill Farmstead Saison profile. Grainy, sour, funky and vinous. Absolutely delicious and very glad that there was enough for a second pour.

I really enjoyed this one. Definitely up there in terms of Saisons that I have had. (671 characters)

Pours a murky golden-orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour with malt, grain, fruit, white wine, and acidic aromas. Taste is much the same with sour grain, white wine, and fruit flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with really nice barrel aged aspects all around.

Bottle poured into an HFB glass.A - Beautiful dance of tiny bubbles, work their way across a light golden back drop.The gentle frothy cap lasts for a while. 4.5S - Fruit skins, slight sharp funk, a light malt toast buried between lemon, and white grape. 4.75T - That slight tart snap, with a composed wine feel, the running of the flavors are going on.A range of flavor that is hard to capture 4.75M - Sharp edges, and a fine middle., and slightly tingling finish. Striking in its depth. 4.75O - Impressive, this effort is world class, the buckwheat, the body, the nose, beautiful.

Appearance is unfiltered, pastel light gold, small one ginger white head that retains quite well. Sticky froth residue is left on the sides of the glass, not as much as their non-barrel aged offerings but plentiful nonetheless.

Aroma is a crazy balanced mix of wine barrel, funky farmhouse yeast, and fruity esters. Where Fermier is super citrus and Cellarman had a tropical, spicy kick, this retains a more balanced aroma. Not necessarily better but fabulous like the formers. Lime, lemon peel, rustic wheat, white wine, faint banana, and a little tart nectarine.

The taste reveals a thing of beauty. Plenty of lemon tang, lime, and fruity white wine intermingle with a crisp wheat character, sourdough, oak, vanilla, and plantain. It's a crisp flavor that cleans out on the finish quite nice and makes you want to drink more and more. So damn drinkable. As it warms a slight funk also starts to shine through.

This here is a knockout of a beer. I love that the lacto presence is kept in check allowing some of the other flavors shine through that you might otherwise miss by an elevated tartness. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of acidity for a saison but it's so well balanced that it's not one of the main focuses. With breweries left and right making tart saisons I feel like some (Side Project for example) could tone down those PH levels (or maybe I should say tone up.) I have enjoyed the Side Projects immensely but the saisons I've noticed can be aggressively tart. Let's leave that for the sour/wild category. If I were to rate this among Fermier and Cellarman, two very similar other beers, this would likely land in between the two. With Cellarman being the favorite. But this is right there with it in all honesty. (1,923 characters)

Smell: Loads of bretty funk, vinous tartness. A sweet, citrus character to the tartness as well, and a . This smells ridiculously amazing, one of the best saison’s I've ever smelled.

Taste: If possible, even better than the smell. Lots of sweet fruity, juicy brett character, citrus tartness mixing in with vinous complexity. Almost like a clementine. The finish is long and incredibly oaky, with a vanilla character that lasts forever. This is right up there with Fermier as far as saisons go.

Mouthfeel: Prickly yet smooth. Dry, and exactly what I want in a Saison. Fantastic.

Overall: As close to perfect a Saison as I can imagine, knowing that Fermier exists. Amazing, as always. (824 characters)

A: Pours a .75 finger head into my treehouse tulip with good carbonation, great legs and really really nice lacing. Hazy golden sunrise. Nice full color/body, not looking too light. Now that I've had a few sips and am looking at the glass, this is ridiculous. The lacing is just amazing.

S: Very upfront sour lacto goodness. Saison notes in the background, nice spiciness, great overall character. Nice lemony notes. I really enjoy the way that the sour lacto smells meld together with typical saison notes.

T: Well now that is Tart!!! Nice almost chardonnay character in the finish. I'm having a hard time reviewing the taste here. This is very sessionable, very straightforward. I think it's incredible but it's also...not sure what. I think I just wasn't expecting a beer to be this sour and also this sessionable. It's great; I want to drink a lot more. I could drink this entire 750 by myself whereas normally with a sour I'd be hard pressed to get through one. Take that for what it's worth. A great introductory beer to the style?

M: It would be easier to rate this beer if we knew the abv. Really hard to say.

O: Pretty damn delicious. Looks and smells great, tastes superb but almost falls short because it is so sessionable. I was expecting this to be a lot more sour. Would definitely drink again [and will because I have more] but I would not buy this again for the price point, not even close. (1,470 characters)

Golden-straw color, mostly clear at first, picking up a slight haze about halfway through the bottle, and topped with a frothy inch of white head, which retained as a thin layer, and laced the glass nicely. Nice straight-up saison aroma, barnyard funk, wet grass, oak, minor hints of lacto-lemon. Similar taste, barnyard funk, bready yeast, toasted wheat, notes of lemon and peach with a delicate tartness that was just peeking through, and underlying hints of white wine and oak. Very complex and enjoyable. Light-medium body, crisp, clean, dry mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. Pretty much spot-on for what they were shooting for. I would've like to stock up on this one, but with a price tag like that, I'm satisfied with the 2 bottles I got. (790 characters)

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a stemmed glass. Served at cellar temperature. This was bottled in 11/2013.

Appearance: Pours a hazy peach/light amber color and gives a big, fluffy head of a couple fingers that fades slowly, leaving lacing all the way down. The bottle gushed just a tad upon opening, but I didn't lose much at all. Pretty looking beer.